The estimated $278m (174m) in weekend ticket sales broke the previous record of $253m (158m) set in July 2008, the weekend The Dark Knight was released.
Sci-fi epic Avatar took $75m (47m) in its second weekend, according to early studio estimates.

Sherlock Holmes, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel and It's Complicated all enjoyed strong… Continue

The estimated $278m (174m) in weekend ticket sales broke the previous record of $253m (158m) set in July 2008, the weekend The Dark Knight was released.
Sci-fi epic Avatar took $75m (47m) in its second weekend, according to early studio estimates.

Sherlock Holmes, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel and It's Complicated all enjoyed strong debuts.

Former supermodel Tyra Banks said on Monday she is ending her Emmy-award winning TV daytime talk show in the spring of 2010.
Banks, 36, said in a posting on her official web site that the current fifth season of "The Tyra Show" on the CW network, would be the last.

"This will be the last season of 'The Tyra Show'," Banks said. "I have been loving having fun, coming… Continue

Former supermodel Tyra Banks said on Monday she is ending her Emmy-award winning TV daytime talk show in the spring of 2010.
Banks, 36, said in a posting on her official web site that the current fifth season of "The Tyra Show" on the CW network, would be the last.

"This will be the last season of 'The Tyra Show'," Banks said. "I have been loving having fun,… Continue

As the year comes to a close, so does the open-enrollment period for Medicare prescription-drug plans.
The deadline to make changes to Medicare drug plans is Dec. 31, except for people who qualify for a special enrollment period like those in a low-income subsidy program.

Generally, there are two types of drug plans to choose from: a stand-alone prescription-drug… Continue

As the year comes to a close, so does the open-enrollment period for Medicare prescription-drug plans.
The deadline to make changes to Medicare drug plans is Dec. 31, except for people who qualify for a special enrollment period like those in a low-income subsidy program.

Generally, there are two types of drug plans to choose from: a stand-alone prescription-drug… Continue

Christmas weekend air traffic is experiencing delays of 15 to 90 minutes, some major U.S. airlines and the government said, due to far-flung winter storms and an alleged terrorist attack on a trans-Atlantic flight.
Delta Air Lines Inc. and UAL Corp.’s United Airlines are waiving some flight-change fees for passengers in areas affected by bad weather hitting the U.S.… Continue

Christmas weekend air traffic is experiencing delays of 15 to 90 minutes, some major U.S. airlines and the government said, due to far-flung winter storms and an alleged terrorist attack on a trans-Atlantic flight.
Delta Air Lines Inc. and UAL Corp.’s United Airlines are waiving some flight-change fees for passengers in areas affected by bad weather hitting the U.S. Midwest… Continue

At least eight Iranian protesters were reported to have been shot dead in Tehran today — including a nephew of the opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi — during the fiercest protests in the capital since the immediate aftermath of June’s hotly disputed presidential election.
The shootings mean that the confrontation between the so-called Green movement and the… Continue

At least eight Iranian protesters were reported to have been shot dead in Tehran today — including a nephew of the opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi — during the fiercest protests in the capital since the immediate aftermath of June’s hotly disputed presidential election.
The shootings mean that the confrontation between the so-called Green movement and the… Continue

A Nigerian man who tried and failed to blow up a plane over Detroit ''sneaked'' into his native country the day before his botched Christmas Day attempt, leaving his father shocked and regretful, Nigeria's information minister said Sunday.
Information Minister Dora Akunyili told reporters Sunday that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab passed through Nigeria for only one day… Continue

A Nigerian man who tried and failed to blow up a plane over Detroit ''sneaked'' into his native country the day before his botched Christmas Day attempt, leaving his father shocked and regretful, Nigeria's information minister said Sunday.
Information Minister Dora Akunyili told reporters Sunday that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab passed through Nigeria for only one day before… Continue

Ivana Trump has been kicked off an aeroplane after allegedly screaming obscenities at children.
Police physically escorted the 60-year-old ex-wife of billionaire Donald Trump off the aircraft after being alerted to the foul-mouthed outburst by the pilot.

It is claimed the four-times married socialite, on the New York-bound Delta Airlines flight at Palm Beach International… Continue

Ivana Trump has been kicked off an aeroplane after allegedly screaming obscenities at children.
Police physically escorted the 60-year-old ex-wife of billionaire Donald Trump off the aircraft after being alerted to the foul-mouthed outburst by the pilot.

It is claimed the four-times married socialite, on the New York-bound Delta Airlines flight at Palm Beach… Continue

Vic Chesnutt, the Georgia-based singer-songwriter known for his darkly comic songs, died yesterday in Athens, Georgia, after spending several days in a coma caused by an overdose of muscle relaxers. Chesnutt, who was confined to a wheelchair after a car crash at age 18, was discovered in the late 1980s by R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, who produced his first two albums, Little and West of… Continue

Vic Chesnutt, the Georgia-based singer-songwriter known for his darkly comic songs, died yesterday in Athens, Georgia, after spending several days in a coma caused by an overdose of muscle relaxers. Chesnutt, who was confined to a wheelchair after a car crash at age 18, was discovered in the late 1980s by R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, who produced his first two albums, Little and West of… Continue

A Nigerian who has been detained in Detroit after trying to ignite an explosive device on a U.S. passenger plane is the son of a prominent former banker, a family member told on Saturday.
The 23-year-old man, believed to be linked to al Qaeda militants, is in custody in the United States after being overpowered by passengers and crew as the Christmas Day flight approached… Continue

A Nigerian who has been detained in Detroit after trying to ignite an explosive device on a U.S. passenger plane is the son of a prominent former banker, a family member told on Saturday.
The 23-year-old man, believed to be linked to al Qaeda militants, is in custody in the United States after being overpowered by passengers and crew as the Christmas Day flight approached Detroit… Continue